Manufacture of steel blooms and billets



(No Model.) v 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

' W. HAINSWORTH.

MANUFAGTURE OE STEEL BLOOMS AND BILLETS.

(No Model.) 3 sheets-sheet 2.

W. HAINSWORTH. 'MANUFACTURE 0E STEEL BLOOMS AND BILLETS.

No. 268,222. Patented Nov; 28, 1882.l

(No Model.)` 3 sheets-sheet s.

- W. HAINSWORTH.

MANUPAGTURB 0F STEELBLOOMS AND BILLETS.

lul-l' 4 I4'mi molds.

UNITED STATES PATENT Unsinn'.

VVILIJIAM HAINSWORTH, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

IVIANUFAC'TURE OF STEEL BLOOIVIS AND BILLETS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 268,222, dated November28, 1882.

4Application tiled November 4, 1881. (No niodel.l i

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I WILLIAM HAtNswoRTH, ot'Pittsburg, county of Allegheny, State of Pennsylvania, haveinvented ordiscovered `a new and useful Improvement in Manufacture ot' Steel Bloomsand Billets; and I do hereby declare the following to be a tull,clear,concise, and exact description thereof, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, making a part of this specification, inwhich-like letters indicating like parts- Figure l, Sheet 1', is asideelevation, partly in vertical section, of an apparatusillustrative ot'my present invention. Fig. 2 is a top or plan View thereof. Fig. 3 is avertical transverse section in theplane of tlielinexx,Fig. l. Fig. 4 isan end elevation ot' the crane-caremployed, and a sectional view of thetracks and one mold. Fig. 5, Sheet 2, is a side elevation, to anenlarged scale, of one ot' the roll-cars ein ployed, as in Fig. l, and alongitudinal vertical section of another, asa-lso the line ot` the Fig.6 is a top or plan view, to a like scale, of one of the roll-cars, butwith the middle set-screws sectioned on one side in the line x x', andon the other side in the line m2 x2 of Figi 5, and Fig. 7 is a verticalcross-section in the plane ofthe line x3 of Fig. 6.

In the manufacture ot' ingot iron and steel it has been usual to castthe material into upright ingot-molds, from which theingots were removedas soon as chilled, and then, after being reheated, to pass them througha train oi blooming-rolls, so as to produce whatare known as blooms77volves considerableloss. The metal chills and solidies on the outsiderst, and then the shrinkage, which results from the cooling andsolidilication ot' the interior, gives to the upper end of the ingot anirregular form, usually hollowing or cup-shaped, but `for other orpeculiar reasons the upper end of the ingot sometimes takes a bulging ordome shape. In either case a portion ofthe upper end, or that which inthe'linished or subsequently-wrought product corresponds to the upperend of the iugot, has to be cut or sheared olf as waste material; also,the shrinkage of the ingot usually gives to the vertical or longitudinalsides of the in got a slightly hollowin g or concave shape, and theblooming operation has to be resorted This method ot' operation in,-V

to, partly to reduce suchirregularity and bring the ingot to a bloomform, either rectangular in cross-section, or bulging somewhat up anddown the middle ofthe sides, or with flat sides and beveled or roundedcorners.

My present invention is directed to the elimination ot' thesedifficulties or objections, and I accomplish it wholly or in part bysubjecting the metal immediately after pouring,and be- 6o fore completesoliditication, and while still in the molds, to the action of one ormore reducing or compressing rolls, whereby compression goes on at thesame time with the shrinkage,

so that irregularities which otherwise would be caused by shrinkage orother agency are at once worked down, and an ingot is produced which haspractically the perfect form ot' the bloom, and which also has noirregularlyshaped end, to be cut oli' and thrown away or 7o into thescrap-pile as waste material.

In what l now believe to be the best form of working my invention Iemploy two railway-tracks, It R', laid side by side in convenientproximity 'to each other and conveniently 75 near to the furnace,chamber, or hearth from which the molten metal is tappe-d, run, orpoured out. 0n any suitable foundation along between the rails ot'onetrack, R, I lay one or more ingot-molds, a, but preferably a series 8oor row of them in line, end to end. These molds are of trough shape incrosssection, with closed ends, but open on top. The inner sides areinclined suflciently, if need be, to

insure a ready discharge of the completed inimmediately over the lineot' ingot-molds a, 95

and with a delivery-hole, d, therein, so that metal run out of the ladlemay be run into the molds. The ladle, being tilled or charged in anyknown way, is run onto the track R', and

on coming opposite the first mold ofthe series too the stopper d isremoved, and this and the following molds are filled, the ladlecar beingThe 9o moved along with only the speed necessary to this end. The nextpart ofthe operation relates to the rolling or compression of thecontents ofthe mold or molds while the same is undergoing change of formfrom shrinkage or otherwise, and in part, at least, before it fullysolidiies. To this end I employ one, two, or more cars or trucks, B, andmount on, in., orto each car or truck frame one, two, or more rolls, c.These rolls are so set or adjusted by bearings, setscrews, &c.-such asare usual in the artthat their peripheries shall operate by a rollingand reducing or compressing effect on the surface of the metal in themolds a, the first or forward one compressing or working down on thesurface of the inetal-say one thirtysecond or one sixty-fourth otaninch, more or less-and each succeeding one (if more than one are used)being set to work a little lower than the one forward ofit-say bythesaine amount, more or less. The length of each rolling-surface, measuredin the direction of the rollaxis, is, as near as may be, equal to thewidth of the top inside ofthe ingotanold,

as in Fig. 7, but must not bind seriously.

ln making the rolls any suitable material may be employed, but to guardagainst the eti'ects ofthe excessive heat of the metal I prefer to makethe forward roll or rolls with a tace of ganister, ire-clay, or othersuitable refractory material, dried and baked, or otherwise nular orring form and slipped into the shafts; y also, when so desired, Iarrange on the forward end of the forward car a spool or drum, b, onwhich I wind a sheet or sheets of sheet iron or steel, and payout thesame as the rollears move along, so as to interpose the sheet betweenthe rolls and the molten metal. rlhis gives a partial protection asagainst heat, and also aids in getting and preserving aiiatteued face inthe ingot, as against any tendency of its fluid or semi-duid body totake some irregular form. The sheet'acts as a protection to the steel asagainst oxidationand also slightly as a chill to harden or set the upperface ofthe ingot; but, if so preferred, the sheets for this purpose maybe cnt to size and onebe placed, by hand or otherwise, on top ot eachmold as soon as the moldisfilled. The roll car or cars thus made andittedare caused to move along the track lt, following the pouring, sothat as rapidly as thel molds are tilled the contents thereof shall besubjected to the action of the roll or rolls7 as above indicated. Hencethe rolling and cooling ot' the metal go on at the same time, so that asirregularities ot' shape in the ingot arise, as a result ot cooling,such irregularities will be worked down, and when the ingot becomesfully solidiiied it will have regularly-shaped sidesand-ends,sothatsomuch ot the blooming operation as heretofore has beenrequired to work down or out the concavities or other irregularities inthe sides of the ingot will not be required. Also, in the ingots as Ithus make them there is no irregnlarly-shaped end to be cut oft' aswaste material, and the entire ingot cati be worked into useful product.Also, this rolling action thus pert'orined tends tovexpress or pressoutof the metal and out of the mold those gases or gasbubbles which aresometimes present in ordinary steel casting.

It will be observed that in working this invention with the best resultsthe amount of reduction or compression given to each .ingot should be asnearly as practicable equal or approximately equal to reductionl ot'bulk caused by shrinkage. or otherwise, so that, so far as possible, theeXudation ot' metal over the sides ofthe mold (in case rolling iscommenced before the surl'aee chills) or forward from one mold toanother will not ordinarily occur to any serious extent. Thejointsbetween molds may be protected by loam, as at r, Fig. 5, or in otherdesired way, such as will preventthe molten metal from getting downbetween the ends of the molds7 and at the saine time per mit the rollsto pass readily and without inliury from one mold to the next. In casethe rolls sag or hang below the level ot' the tops of the molds anincline, r', Fig. l, should be added at the end of the row ot' molds.The end walls ofthe molds should be a little lower than the sides, asshown-say about as much lower as the ingot is to be worked down orreduced by the action of the roll or rolls.

'As thus far described, the rolls are intended to operate in compressingsolely or chiefly by their own weight; but it' before the last roll orthe later operating-rolls have done their work the ingot shall in anyease have become so far solidljed that such weight is insufficient foreffecting the compression described, then such roll or rolls, operating011 what is practically a higher level, will litt the car from thetrack, or sustain a portion of its weight, so that the downward orcompressive effect of such roll or rolls will be correspondinglyincreased by the amount of such weight taken ott' the track and thrownonto the roll or rolls. It will also be understood that the rolls rotateby friction as they are moved along, and that additional weights may beput onv the cars, it' desired. For the purpose ot' moving the ladle-earand the roll car or cars thus progressively and simultaneously along thetracks any suitable means may be employed-as, for example, a rope orchain, D2, leading to a stationary engine or other motor, or apushing-engine or locomotive, B', but the power should be suehiu eithercase as is under ready control, especiallyas to speed, and such speedwill he regulated hy the condition ofthe work to be done. After theingots have been thus made and worked l clear both tracks and run ontothe track R a crane-car, Rand a platform-car, l. 'lo move them alocomotive, B2, or other motor, may be employed. 0n the crane-car P is aoratie, a, preferably a hydraulic crane, ha\rs ing a flexiblesupplypipe, regulating-cock, cyl- IOO IOS

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inder, and piston, as shown, (Fig. -I,) together with other necessaryappliances. The gib n carries, by a flexible suspensory, a yokedevice,n2, such as is usually employed in kindred operations. The \oke isvconnected with the ingot-molds c by means of trunnions a', Figs. 2

and 4, and the molds are then hoisted, swung.

over the platformcar P', the molds are inverted, one end swinging overbetween the depending chains of the yoke, and the ingot is deposited onthe car, as indicated at c2, Fig. 2, and 'the empty ingot-mold is resetfor another pour, as at a3. The ingots are thus emptied one afteranother and reset for another lling and rolling operation, as before.

In connection with the invention thus described or as yet to bedescribed, I include all mechanical equivalents and all changes ofdevices and apparatus which involve substatitially like methods ofoperation; butjnote should be made that in working this part of myinvention I do not limit myself to thcuse ot' cylindrical rolls, for therolling-faces may face ofthe ingot.

be made slightly concave in the direction of their length,ora fillet orbead mayrnnaround each cylindrical roll end, so as to make a bevel orrounded corner at each edge of the upper rIhis, in connection with alike tillet at the side corners of the bottom of the mold, will give aningot somewhat more nearly the usual bloom shape,and such or other li kemoditica tions are hereby expressly included herein.

The method of operation described I apply not only to the production, asabove set forth, ot' ingots of a bloom form or condition, which hencemay be termed bloom-ingots, butalso to the production of what I termbillet-ingots. It is well known that ordinary blooms are by furtherworking brought to some spe- .cial form or shape, called billets/as apreparatorystep to the production ofsome article ot' commerce.

By carrying the improvements above described a step farther I am enabledto pro duce direct from the molten material in an ingot-mold aningot-billet or an ingot in billet form, such that by the use otordinaryreduc ing and working rolls such ingot-billet can be worked into anarticle of commerce. This further slepin the operation isillustrated inSheet 3, where Fig. 8 is a view, partly in elevation and partly inlongitudinal vertical section, of theroll-cars and rolls which lemploy,together with thetrack and ingot-mold and metaltherein. Fig.9 isa transverse sectional view of one ot' the cars, track, and ingot-mold.Fig. 10 is a top view of the same sectioned through the middleadjusting-screws; and Figs. 11 to 16 are transverse sectionsthroughtheingotmold and ingot, illustrative of the work done by the successiverolls.

Like letters 4indicate like parts, as in the previous sheets, andoperating in like manner, except as hereinafter explained.

For convenience of illustration and description I have shown and willdescribe this part of my invention as applied to the making ofingot-billets for making channel-bars. `For this purpose I use a singlemold, (t, of trough form, arranged between the rails of track R, asbefore. The proper amount of metal required for making the ingotbilletdesired be ing ascertained, a movable dam-block, z, of

y proper size to ill the trough crosswise, is 'arranged at such pointthat so much ofthe moldcavity as is back of such block will suffice tocontain such amount ot' molten metal. Such metal is then run or pouredinto the ingot-niold a in the manner above described. or otherwise, andit is then ready for the rolling operation.

For this purpose, I employ a series ot rolls, s 8

' ing from shrinkage, and also works down the previously-forineddepression, so as to bring the product to the shape substantiallyasshown in Fig. 14. While the metal is still cooling, approachingsolidification, and shrinking 1t is acted on in like manner and forlikeifpurposes by the next following roll s2, and so on by thesuccessive rolls, as many as may be desired, until it is brought to thedesired form in cross section-#say as in Fig. ll--which is a suitablebillet form from which, by known methods of working, to make-achannelbar.

rIhe number of rolls employed may be varied at pleasure; but'preferablyas many are employed as can be brpugljt to act on the contents of anyone ingot-moldbefore the same have fully solidified'. YVhile I haveshown several such 'rolls I' have done so chiey to illustrate theprobab'le'extreme limit of the operation set forth` O 'd-inarily I willso shape the iirst roll of the ,series that, acting on the still plasticmaterial,.it will reduce it to the shape and approximately to'the sizerequired in cross section, and th'e n use'. the following` roll or rollsot' the series merely to work down the irregularities resulting' fromcooling, as

above set forth. rIhe operation thus described will necessarily resultin the elongation of the molten or partly molten body Ofmetal, and

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hence as the tirst roll approaches'the end ot',

l t, Y

4 :fessee ticularly such shapes as are known under the names of H-iron,77 Tiron,I-loars, angleiron,&c. rIherolls employed in thisoperation differ from those shown and described with reference to Sheetsl and 2 in that some portion of the rolling-surface enters the body ofthe unsolidilied or partly-soliditied metal to such depth and in suchmanner las displacing it to destroy its otherwise substantialrectangular or bloom form; and the operation differs both in the respectthus suggested and in the fact that not only are irregularities causedin cooling obliterated by compression, as in Sheets l and 2, but at thesame time the material is shaped, reduced, and elongated, and all beforecomplete soliditication takes place. Hence the method last described isincluded herein in its application to all the various shapes of billetproduct to which it is applicable.

' It will also bewithin myinvention to mount the roll or rolls inasuitable housingor frame and move the mold or molds along under suchroll or rolls, other conditions being substantially the same. And I mayalso add that the ingot mold or molds may be arranged at the side of thetrack R., instead of between the rails, and the rolls may then projectover the side of the car, though less advantageously; also, the moldsmay be arranged in curved order around a center, or an annular pan beemploy ed with the necessary modifications in other parts; and, in fact,the ladle-car may be operated on the track R ahead of the rollercars, ifso preferred.

The blooms and billets produced by the operations described, in s0 laras they may involve patentable invention, will forni the subject-matterot' a separate application.

I am aware that it has been proposed to pass a heavy roller over thesurface ot' castiron castings with reference to getting rid ofblow-holes, as described in English Patent No. 714 of 1874s, but myinvention goes beyond this, and, in fact, belongs in adi'erentdepartnient of metal-working, in that, (among other thin0s,)lirst, it relates solely to cast malleable iron or steel,'and nottocast-iron, which latter is not malleable; and, second, in that I notonly compress the metal so as to express the gases, but also reduce itso as to chan-ge its form or lessen its size in cross-section.

I claim herein as my invention-n l. The method ot making ingot-iron orsteel ingot-billets by subjecting the metal while still in a tluid orsemi-huid condition7 wholly or in part, and while inclosed in anopen-topped box or trough, to the action of one or more rolls, some partof the operative face or faces of which operates beneath the otherwiseeven surface ofthe metal, at the same time increasing the length of thetrough, whereby the metal is re` duced in crosssection, elongated andbrought to the desired billet shape before complete soliditication takesplace, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of a track, one or more ingot-molds arranged in linetherewith, and one or more cars, each carrying one or more rolls,substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

3. A car carrying a series of two or more rolls, the lower operativeface of each successive roll being slightly below the corresponding faceof the previous roll, iu combination with an open-topped iugot-moldadapted to receive the metal and present it to the action of suoli rollsbet'ore complete solidilication takes place, substantially as set forth.v

4. In combination with two parallel tracks, a series of iugot-moldsarranged end to end along one line of tracks, a rolling mechanismoperated along the same line of track to compress the metal whilecooling, and a hoisting and dumping mechanism operated along the otherline of tracks to hoist, empty, and replace such ingot-molds for anotherlling, substantially as set forth.

5. The combination, on the same car, of rolls c and sheet-iron cooling`and feed drum b, substantially as set forth.

6. In combination with a roll or rolls arranged to operate on the metalof an ingetmold before complete soliditication, a sheetmetal sheetinterposed betweenV the Vroll or rolls and the metal in the mold,substantially as set forth.

7. In combination with a series of opentopped ingot-molds, a', aloam-covering, 1', at the meeting joints ofthe molds, substantially asset forth.

8. In combination with an open-topped ingotmold, a movable dam-block, z,substantially as set forth.

9. In combination with a car or truck and a track and one or more moldsarranged along the track, a series of two or more rolls ar ranged on thecar or truck and adjusted at the proper level for reducing the metal inthe molds, substantially as described, with reference to adding theweight of the car to the weight ot' the rolls, as the resistance toreduction increases in the ingot.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

WI LLIAM I-IAINSWORTH.

fitnessesz GEORGE H. CHRISTY, It. H. WHIT'rLEsEY.

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